Neutral Thoughts
by Lyralocke
Summary: Kataang, oneshot. He didn’t understand how she could do that so effortlessly. One second, he was completely in stride with her. The next moment, he couldn’t even hold his own train of thought let alone catch up with hers.


_This is short and simple, rather stupid but at the same time kind of clever, and inspired by a conversation that took place on PUSHING DAISIES. And another conversation that took place over at DH. I haven't seen THE WESTERN AIR TEMPLE yet, so I tried to keep the scenery rather vague because I've heard the architecture is crazy somehow. Please don't tell me, I'm not a fan of spoilers._

_This would just happen sometime after they get to the temple, I guess._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar_

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He could feel her frowning at him, even though he couldn't see her. There was something about her presence that he could always feel. He turned his head and caught sight of her, standing hesitantly behind him with a thoughtful frown on her face.

He smiled a little at the sight of her, lit from behind by the distant campfire. She didn't smile back, that pensive frown still on her face. Somehow, she could even make frowning look beautiful.

"Something wrong, Katara?" he asked.

She tilted her head slightly. "Not so much something wrong…" she murmured. "Just something on my mind."

"Come sit down," he offered in reply, patting the rough stone next to him. She took the invitation readily, taking a seat and turning to look at what he had been staring at rather absently before her interruption.

The half-moon was just visible behind the sparse clouds from one of the balconies of the Western Air Temple. The two of them were sitting on the balcony railing, legs dangling over the edge and a light midnight breeze on their faces.

"So, this something that's on your mind," Aang began conversationally, glancing at her. "Are you willing to share it?"

"Perhaps," Katara replied, smiling and glancing back. "It depends on how you think you'll take it."

"How I'll take it?" Aang repeated, tilting his head slightly. It had been a while since they had talked like this, and he missed the good-natured bantering. "Well… that depends on what it is. Compliment or criticism?"

Katara thought for a moment, still smiling. "It's more of a neutral thought," she conceded. "Neither complimentary nor critical."

"Well, if it's a neutral thought, I would think that I would take it just as neutrally as it was given," Aang replied, shrugging. "Or thought, as it were."

Katara laughed a little, and Aang felt himself doing the same.

"Okay then," Katara began lightly. "My neutral thought is that you shaved your head."

Aang smiled, a little confused. "Yes, I did," he agreed. "And yes, that thought is very neutral."

"As I said it would be," she replied with a grin, shrugging. "There is something else on my mind, however, that is less of a neutral thought and more of a compliment."

"Do tell," Aang responded, grinning.

"I liked your hair," she said simply.

Aang paused, feeling his face growing warm and hoping the cool air of the night would stop him from blushing.

"You did?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"I did," she repeated, and he could hear the smirk in her voice. "And I have to admit… I'm a little disappointed."

"That I shaved my head?" he asked, now struggling to keep up. He didn't understand how she could do that so effortlessly. One second, he was completely in stride with her. The next moment, he couldn't even hold his own train of thought let alone catch up with hers.

She nodded, humming a light "mm-hmm" in affirmation. "I wanted to know what it felt like," she continued.

Now Aang was seriously lagging behind. "What… what felt like?" he struggled to ask.

She glanced at him, smiling lightly. She reached toward him, resting a hand at the nape of his neck and running her fingers up the back of his head. He felt his eyes sliding shut involuntarily.

"Oh…" he muttered, struggling to open his eyes and focus on her. "That." She was smirking at him, clearly enjoying having this effect on him.

Her hand left his head and he breathed a sigh of relief, but then her fingers were behind his left ear and dragging back over his head again as if there was still hair there.

"Hmm," she hummed suddenly, withdrawing her hand. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Aang gaped at her.

"I would have preferred doing that with hair, but it seemed to have enough of an effect," she continued airily.

"Uh, wow," Aang stammered finally, shaking his head briskly. "I kind of miss those neutral thoughts. They were much easier to follow."

"Well if you need to follow something," she replied, smirking again as her hand returned to the back of his head. "I'm willing to offer my train of thought. …Depending on how you'll take it."

And with that, she drew his head toward hers and pressed her lips to his.

Suddenly, Aang was no longer lagging behind. He didn't know why or how, but he knew exactly what he was doing. Maybe it was the knowledge of a thousand previous Avatars, all of whom had kissed someone at some point in their lives. Maybe it was the fact that he had kissed her once before. Maybe it was because he dreamed about this so much, he was completely ready for it to happen in real life.

None of those things occurred to Katara when Aang's hands were suddenly on her hips, dragging her toward him across the stone floor, and he was leaning closer, the pressure on her lips increasing, the heat between them intensifying. Nothing was occurring to Katara at all.

In fact, she had completely lost her train of thought.

She jerked away from him a few heated minutes later, flattening a hand against his chest to keep him at bay. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed, and she had to take several deep breaths before she could speak.

"I have… something on my mind," she gasped.

"Compliment or… criticism?" Aang replied, equally out of breath but slightly more composed.

"Neutral thought."

"Shoot."

She smiled at him, laughing helplessly. "You are much better at that than I am."

"I hardly think that's a neutral thought," he replied, sounding only slightly smug. "I take it as a compliment."

"Take it as you will," she said, shrugging. She grinned at him rather haughtily. "I still miss your hair, though."

"Fair enough," he replied, pulling her closer again. "I wouldn't be too pleased if you shaved your head either."


End file.
